About Us

Page Turners is an annual, themed, book award for teenagers and young adults in the South East of England.
Launched in 2006 we now have over fifteen secondary schools who participate.
Together we represent over 10,000 students and have almost 400 young people in our respective book groups. Each year we choose a different theme for the awards before picking our 10 shortlisted books.
Through peer recommendation, we want to encourage young people to read books which they might not otherwise pick.
We aim to create an exciting, themed shortlist every year with a range of titles and genres catering for all ages and tastes.

In summer 2020 we relaunched the award as the Page Turners Book Award, replacing the South East Schools Themed Book Award with a new name for a new decade.
Our reading cycle starts in September and culminates in an awards gala evening, with guest authors, in March each year, hosted at Kent College, Pembury, where our winning books are revealed live.

	Bennett Memorial Diocesan School is an all-ability co-educational academy in Tunbridge Wells for students aged 11 to 18. We are a Church of England School, academically highly successful, and we also set great store by the development of character and values. The Bennett moto is ‘Semper Tenax’, meaning: “Ever holding fast”; this signifies perseverance in faith and values. Bennett actively promotes engagement in reading from the minute students join us in Year 7.
	Bethany School is a leading independent co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged 11-18. We celebrate individuality and champion original thinking. We help pupils to develop their courage, curiosity and compassion. We create an environment in which every young person has the confidence to learn, contribute and flourish in their own way. Because originality changes the world.
	Cranbrook School is a selective co-educational state day and boarding grammar school in Kent, with roughly two-thirds of its roll attending as local day students and about one-third as boarders. The school places a strong emphasis on reading for pleasure, and its students have taken part in the Page Turners Book Award – an inter-school reading initiative launched in 2006 – every year since the award’s inception. This unique culture of reading and Cranbrook’s blend of day and boarding life reflect the school’s commitment to both academic excellence and an enriching student experience.
	Kent College Pembury is proud to be one of the founding members of Page Turners. We are an ISI 'Excellent' day and boarding school from 2 to 18 years. Kent College is currently co-educational from Nursery to Year 6 in the Prep School and will be co-educational from 2026 into our Senior School and Sixth Form. Our ethos of kindness, community and inclusive nurturing, alongside excellent teaching and learning, a flexible curriculum and fantastic facilities are the key to success for our students. The potential and promise of every individual will be unlocked at Kent College.
	Knole Academy in Sevenoaks, Kent, is an all-ability co-educational school with a grammar stream and an International Baccalaureate candidate school. Knole Academy is committed to the highest standards of teaching and learning to ensure that all students fulfil their potential, in the taught curriculum and in extra and co-curricular activities.
	Leigh Academy Mascalls is a successful academy, providing students with opportunities within the classroom and beyond to develop into young people who will contribute positively to our local, national and global communities. We offer a wide curriculum, with twenty seven subjects taught at GCSE level and twenty nine at A level. We are also proud to be an International Baccalaureate World School offering the Middle Years Programme in Years 7-9 which is designed to develop happy, inquisitive, rounded, independent, globally aware and resilient young people.
	Leigh Academy Tonbridge is building on the strengths of our legacy school, Hayesbrook Academy, Leigh Academy Tonbridge will always be an institution that values and nurtures every young person in our care. Core values of integrity, courage and imagination underpin all that we do. Our small school model means that every child will be known, cared for and challenged to succeed.
	Radnor House Sevenoaks is an outstanding co-educational independent day school from Nursery to Sixth Form. Through our values and personalised approach, your children will develop an intellectual, moral, social, physical, and spiritual robustness that allows them to become active and responsible young adults equipped to thrive in the world of tomorrow.
	The School of Science and Technology Maidstone is the latest addition to VIAT’s collection of secondary schools, having welcomed our first cohort in 2020. Although Science and Technology are in the name, students at SST have access to a broad curriculum, a plethora of extra-curricular activities and an inclusive family of staff and students who have helped shape the school since the day it opened.
	The Skinners’ Kent Academy is an all-ability Academy located in Tunbridge Wells. It is built on a foundation of high standards and aspirations, where every student is supported and encouraged to reach their full potential. Its innovative and internationally-focused curriculum makes learning exciting and engaging, and is taught by dedicated teachers who not only have a passion for teaching, but also for staying current in their fields of expertise.
	Tonbridge Grammar School is a high achieving selective grammar school with academy status, educating girls between the ages of 11 and 16 and girls and boys in the Sixth Form. Our school community encourages all students to reach their potential in a caring environment where wellbeing is the priority. A broad, balanced and challenging curriculum allows for the development of key skills enabling our students to explore, question and build resilience.
	Trinity School in Sevenoaks is a state-funded Christian school dedicated to providing an education that nurtures students to grow and flourish according to God’s unique purpose for each of them.
	Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School is a forward-looking school embracing traditional values. We aim to provide pupils with a full and balanced education for life within a caring environment. Our consistent and outstanding academic record demonstrates this but, more importantly, reflects the commitment and qualification of our teachers supported by the hard work and determination of our pupils.
	Weald of Kent is a girls' grammar school with a co-ed Sixth Form, based in Tonbridge with a second campus in Sevenoaks. Our ethos focusses on developing the whole student with an emphasis on our core values of curiosity, courage, and compassion. We have been part of Page Turners since it began in 2006 and are now proud to host the Gala event at our Tonbridge campus.

Why don’t you join in the fun too?

We would love to welcome other South East secondary schools to our book award!
Pooling our ideas, experience, resources and enthusiasm is a great way to introduce reading for pleasure activities into your school
or take them to the next level.
Click here to contact us if you would like to find out more about how to join in the fun.